


be my soul's salvation

by GoddessOfTheVoid



Series: tumblr prompts [2]
Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bathing/Washing, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, Jaskier | Dandelion Has Feelings, M/M, Scars, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:21:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29683191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessOfTheVoid/pseuds/GoddessOfTheVoid
Summary: Ever since he could remember, Jaskier’s thoughts constantly drifted towards his scar. The one he received from his soulmate.It was quite gruesome. Or at least that’s what people have been telling him his whole life. Disfigured skin covering his entire right side from the moment he was born. Monstrous bite marks his soulmate cursed him with for the rest of his life.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: tumblr prompts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2126529
Comments: 20
Kudos: 253





	be my soul's salvation

**Author's Note:**

> so, this fic was prompted to me on tumblr a while ago and dear anon i'm sorry it took me so long to finish it! it proved quite harder than i expected it to be. in the end i also decided to combine the soulmate prompt ("why didn't you tell me?") with the monthy prompt from the monstrum server and I hope you enjoy my first try at writing a soulmate prompt.
> 
> thanks to becky and maimat for helping me figure this out <3

Ever since he could remember, Jaskier’s thoughts constantly drifted towards his scar. The one he received from his soulmate.

It was quite gruesome. Or at least that’s what people have been telling him his whole life. Disfigured skin covering his entire right side from the moment he was born. Monstrous bite marks his soulmate cursed him with for the rest of his life.

Not many people knew of it, making it one of the most hidden secrets inside their manor. The mark was covered up before anyone else could see him in such a state. No one except for his nurse was allowed to see him undressed. Later, he was forbidden from removing his shirt, ordered to keep it on at all cost once he grew old enough to understand such an order. No one could ever know such a hideous scar existed on someone of noble blood.

The disgust on his mother’s face every time she saw it was enough to convince him to obey that order. Though it took him some years to understand all the implications that came with his mark.

It meant his soulmate was older, most likely an adult already, the moment Jaskier was born based on the size of his scar. And on his mate, the scar probably did not look as bad as it did on Jaskier. For Jaskier, though, it just grew with him as he aged. A constant reminder every time he dared to look in the mirror as he undressed.

His parents worried, obviously. How would they be able to marry him off with such a disfigurement? They did not care that he wished to meet his mate at least once to see if they could have a future together. Nobles did not care about such a thing, naturally. What he wanted mattered less than what was expected of him. And it left no room for discussion.

Deep inside, though, he didn’t hate his scar. No matter what his parents told him. For him, it meant that there was someone waiting, someone who would perhaps love and cherish him. If he would be lucky enough to meet this person in his lifetime. 

Still, he couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to his mate to receive such a scar. Some horrific monster attack must have caused this, biting and ripping into his side until the skin was mangled and disfigured. And yet, it had managed it to heal. So at least the wound hadn’t been deadly. He wished to comfort his mate - he was certain it had to be a man, a knight perhaps or a soldier, practiced in battle if he was able to survive an attack like this. But what he wanted to do most was to offer solace for whatever horrible thing had caused him to bear such a mark. And to apologize for the clumsiness that had led to his own scar.

He was barely a young boy when he got it. A tiny moment of not paying enough attention, of moving too awkwardly, ended in cries of anguish as burning oil dripped onto his inner thigh. He was foolish enough to stay up late and read a book, close to the lamp, so he could see all the letters on the pages. Completely lost in its plot as he turned a page with too much excitement, causing the oil lamp next to him to fall over and spill its contents over his naked leg. He remembered seeing blistering skin, the worried yells of people walking into the room, and ever-consuming pain, pain, pain.

It healed, eventually, but left a scar behind - one that was nearly as mangled as the one his mate gave him - marking the skin of his inner thigh and by proxy the one of his soulmate, too. They were even now, both having marked the other with their first scar. Destiny had spoken the final word.

  
  
Much to his parent’s dismay, he set out to become a bard, not caring about their threats of disinheriting him. He had no desire to be a lord and deal with politics all day long. He wanted to sing, to tell stories across the continent. And no one would stop him. Certainly not them, he thought as he sneaked out, vanishing into the woods until someone could realize where he had gone.

Of course, he also hoped to find his soulmate eventually, but truth be told, he had no high hopes for that. The continent was big, and the chances were very low of him meeting the person he was searching for even as he was traveling. Either way, this would still bring him closer to finding his mate than staying inside his manor where only boring marriage proposals to respectable young ladies awaited him.

Now the unrespectable ladies proved much more interesting. And so did the men. Though those were a much rarer find. Yet he took what he could get and appreciated being able to sate his lust with many willing people on the road. He might have a mate, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy himself until he found him.

The one benefit of the massive scar his mate gifted him with was that it provided him with an easy way to rule out people as soon as he saw them in a state of undress. And that was fairly easy to achieve. He was pretty enough to charm himself into the beds of many people during his travels, always ensuring they were the ones who lost their clothes, not him.

In fact, he made sure to do anything that could keep him from undressing in front of his partners. The last thing he wanted to see was the disgust on their faces when they saw his scar, plus, they did not deserve to see it. It was his private secret, meant for his own and his soulmate’s eyes, not for random strangers he seduced. Only if he saw the same scar on them, then would he undress as well.

A few years into his travels, he was disappointed, for he had not yet found his soulmate. Even if he had expected it, he still had a small amount of hope that maybe he would be one of the lucky ones who would find their mates easily. What he found instead was Geralt. And for a while, he nearly forgot about his initial quest, as traveling with him proved more fascinating than anything else in his life.

As a child he would have never expected to meet a witcher in his lifetime, let alone travel with him. He heard the stories, listened to them in fascination whenever he heard hushed voices talking about it, and dreamed about living through such adventures on his own.

It seemed as if destiny had an adventure in store for him by putting him into a witcher’s path, and he would not refuse that gift. In fact, this was more than a pleasant surprise and he couldn’t wait to tell more of Geralt’s story in his songs, ensuring his everlasting fame as a bard across the continent. He would hopefully find his mate eventually, but until then, he would enjoy the path, leading him through the many different places he could have otherwise never visited on his own.

As their travels continued, Jaskier grew more comfortable around Geralt. It was surprisingly easy to be around him as he saw right past Geralt’s gruff attitude.

Hiding his scar from Geralt had proven more difficult, and eventually, he failed. Geralt returned earlier to their shared room one night, catching him in a state of undress after he’d come out of the bath. To Jaskier’s surprise Geralt said nothing, not even questioning how he got the huge scar on his chest. Then again, he was probably used to seeing gruesome wounds, so that was likely the reason why he didn’t care much about Jaskier’s mark. Sadly, Jaskier realized with a pang of sadness that this meant Geralt was not his soulmate.

Sometimes he had wondered — hoped even — that Geralt was his soulmate. But that was just wishful thinking. Geralt had so many scars, it was impossible to tell if there was one that matched his even after seeing him undressed pretty early on. Finding his own scar on Geralt proved just as difficult due to the placement. He doubted he would ever get a chance to have a peek at Geralt’s inner thigh, no matter how much he wished for it to happen.

In addition, Geralt had told him Witchers did not have soulmates. He couldn’t say if that was true or not, but it seemed reasonable enough. Geralt’s refusal to react to his mark just proved that he had to continue his search. What a shame. There went all the hopes he had that traveling with Geralt was destiny’s plan.

As their travels continued, he doubted he would find his soulmate. Perhaps he was even dead already, given the size of the scar that disfigured Jaskier’s side and the years that had passed.

It would have been just enough cruel luck for his soulmate to die before he found him, leaving him alone for the rest of his life.

No.

His soulmate was still alive. Jaskier was sure of it. He would have felt it if there was nothing, if their bond had been broken and his scar started to fade. And one day he would find that person. 

Until then, he would continue to travel with Geralt, enjoying what closeness he would get from that. All while ignoring that his heart yearned for more and that he still wished Geralt was the one despite everything.

They were on the road somewhere between towns when they stumbled across a group of massive kikimores roaming around the forest. Fortunately for Jaskier, he had not much to fear with Geralt by his side as he held onto Roach while Geralt dealt with the monsters.

As much as it was dangerous for him, Jaskier loved watching Geralt fight, dispatching the monsters with finesse in a smooth dance. He could watch it for hours, drifting off into his fantasies. Sadly it didn’t take long for the last kikimore to fall dismembered to the ground, and he nearly mourned the fact that he couldn’t watch Geralt fight any longer.

It probably shouldn’t turn him on as much as it did to watch a witcher slaughter monsters, and yet here he was. Dreams and fantasies were all he had left, so he would enjoy them, cherishing the small amount of happiness they gave him.

What he did not enjoy was Geralt coming back to him drenched in blood and monster guts, smelling worse than the Oxenfurt sewers in summer. 

There was little he despised more than the smell of monster guts, and he doubted he would ever get used to it. Perhaps it was his noble upbringing, but he was a lover of fine things and a bit of a whimp when it came to gross things. 

Lamenting that he would have to endure a gross and smelly Geralt until they reached the next town, he almost missed it as they walked past it. But in the corner of his eyes he spotted something. A clearing in the woods and more importantly, a small lake inside it.

“Geralt, look! A lake,” he exclaimed, pulling on Geralt’s sleeve to drag him into its direction. “Come on let’s get you cleaned up!”

“We can do that in the next town.”

“Nonsense, I’ll not deal with you reeking of decomposing monster guts for the next few days or however far the next town is away. And I’m sure Roach doesn’t want to deal with it either,” Jaskier insisted, trying to drag Geralt closer to the lake.

He was very much aware of the fact that Geralt could simply free himself from his grip if he wanted. It was not like Jaskier’s strength compared to the one of a witcher. But clearly, Geralt was feeling at least slightly uncomfortable, too, when it came to the stench surrounding them. Thankfully, because Jaskier did not lie when he said he couldn’t handle this smell for much longer.

It didn’t take them long to step into the clearing and what they saw was breathtakingly beautiful. A small lake with fresh and calm water, surrounded by green bushes and trees. The perfect spot to take a rest and clean up. Even Jaskier was tempted to get into the water for a short refreshment and remove the sweat and dust from his skin.

As soon as they set up a basic camp, Jaskier removed his doublet and breeches before he started to pull on Geralt’s armor, urging him to undress and take a bath inside the lake. Although he was grumbling between clenched teeth, Jaskier knew Geralt wanted to get clean, too. Soon Geralt was naked and wading into the water. And Jaskier was thankful for his smallclothes and shirt because even drenched in blood and gore Geralt was a sight that made his cock stir with interest.

Picking up a clean rag, he followed Geralt into the fresh water, insisting on checking him for wounds and cleaning him properly. Now that most of the gore was gone, it was easier for him to see any cuts or bites, cleaning all of them carefully.

Moving the rag across Geralt’s skin to remove the remaining specs of blood and guts and checking for any hidden injuries, he noticed something he hadn’t before. A scar on his inner thigh that looked suspiciously like his own. It was a bit smaller, but he knew it was the same burn mark on the same spot. He would recognize its odd form anywhere.

Jaskier froze.

All those years by Geralt’s side, and he had never noticed it, focusing only on finding the mark he had on his chest.

Then again he never had a chance to look at Geralt’s inner thighs from such a close distance, either. Not for lack of trying, but rather due to the fact that Geralt had either not noticed or straight up ignored his flirtations.

But Geralt had seen his scar, the massive bite on his chest that was impossible to ignore. Geralt had seen it and never said a thing despite knowing what it meant. His heart broke and yet he had to ask him, to get a definitive answer. Even if he knew the rejection would wreck him.

“Geralt? Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked quietly, anxiously awaiting to hear the reasoning behind the heartbreak he would surely experience in a few moments.

“What?”

“That you are my soulmate. And don’t deny it. I’ve seen my unfortunate burn mark on your leg.”

“Because no one desires a witcher as their soulmate,” Geralt replied. “It’s a cruel fate I wished to spare you.”

“You’re an idiot, Geralt. Did you ever think that I could want you, too?”

Geralt shook his read, his reply stern. “Even if you did, it can’t happen.”

“No! You don’t get to decide for me if I want you or not,” Jaskier exclaimed, not willing to let Geralt reject him out of some twisted sense of nobility. “Only I can make this choice.”

“I just want to protect you. And I cannot give you what you want, Jaskier."

“You have given me more in the time we spent together than anyone else had in my life. I wanted you before I knew you were my mate Geralt. Did I not travel with you for all those years, stayed with you when no one else would? And now that I know I want you even more,” he said before pausing. “That is if you want damaged goods like me.”

“Oh Jask, you’re not damaged goods. If anyone is damaged it’s me. I’m the butcher, not you.”

“I think I’ve proven enough to you that I don’t care about that. Maybe we’re both damaged, but it doesn’t matter. I won’t leave. Only if you wish for it. “

“I don’t wish for you to leave,” Geralt said, quietly and he was shocked to hear those words out loud.

“Good. Because I don’t want to leave. I want you, Geralt. Will you have me?”

“Of course I will,” Geralt replied, pulling him into his arms.

He sank into Geralt’s embrace, feeling his warmth even though the thin layers of linen he was wearing. Jaskier pulled Geralt closer, kissing him softly like he’d wanted to do for the past years.

Their first kiss felt different than the ones he’d experienced with other people. It was soft and chaste, with a hint of insecurity, as both of them were testing the waters. And yet it felt right, so very right. A promise for better ones to come as they learned what the other enjoyed and how they would fit together.

Jaskier couldn’t wait for it.

If the first kiss felt so good already, it would only improve with more practice. And he couldn’t wait to get more of it. Starting in this moment as their kisses deepened over time and they both couldn’t bring themselves to stop.

They stood in the lake, sharing soft and needy kisses until Jaskier started to feel cold. With slight regret, they broke apart to quickly get out of the water and put on some clean and dry clothes.

The sun was setting fast and they decided to make camp near the lake. It would be best to continue their travel the next morning instead of getting lost during the night. And after the excitement of the day Jaskier was happy to be allowed to rest instead of having to walk through the night.

It didn’t take long for a small fire to burn and warm them, the smell of food making Jaskier’s mouth water as he was quite hungry after a day full of action. They shared some of their supplies and decided on an early night so they could hopefully get into a town by the next evening and sleep in a proper bed.

Curling up together underneath the blankets felt nothing but natural. It was not the first time they did this, and yet it felt different. There was a new intimacy to it even though not much had changed. But Jaskier was more than happy to explore this new addition to their relationship in the future. Having Geralt as his soulmate was the best thing to happen to him. He actually got the only person he wanted for such a long time and he could have never seen himself with someone else. But for now, he just wanted to sleep, safe and warm in Geralt’s arms. The rest would come in time.

This was not the life his parents wanted him to have, but for him, it was perfect. He had everything he needed. His music and freedom. And now his soulmate, too.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading and if you enjoyed it feel free to toss some kudos/comments to your writer :D  
> and hit me up on tumblr @feedingmyinsomnia if you want to chat :D


End file.
